The Dark Powers Within Him
by ElectroNerd
Summary: It's been three months since Riku and Sora got back home. They tried their best to act like they hadn't just saved the world, but they were forever changed, especially Riku. If I defeated him, Riku thought, then why is he still haunting me? Riku's POV. Rating on T just to be safe.
1. Prologue

**My new KH fic is here~! And I'm overjoyed that I got. . . the prologue. . . done. . . Gah, I'm not so happy anymore now that I've realized I still have to write Chapter 1. . . . . =3= *not very happy* But whatevs. **

**This story has slight AU, like, after this, maybe in the later chapters. I'll have you guys know, this takes place DIRECTLY AFTER Kingdom Hearts 2, so don't try to pummel me with questions about KH1, BBS, 358/2 Days, Re:Coded, Re:COM, or DDD. I haven't beaten 2 of these games anyway, and you'll have to GUESS which ones they are. I'm not telling. I'm in a foul mood right now.**

**Even though I'm not happy, I'll still supply a funny disclaimer. Roll the clip! (starts playing _Starships_ by Nicki Minaj)**

_**I don't own**_

_**Kingdom Hearts~**_

_**But I**_

_**wish I did~**_

_**Because**_

_**It's such an awesome game~**_

_**All I own is**_

_**This fanfic.**_

_**OOWOAH~!**_

**...**

**Heh, sorry. It's unoriginal yet original at the same time. I came up with it, but I used it in my other KH fic and.. you know what, just whatever. Just read and enjoy, my friends. =_=**

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Prologue

It was the final battle. I saw my keyblade was getting chipped a little, but I could fix that later. I didn't pay much attention to the way the bandages on my left wrist were loosening and beginning to fall off; that was also something I could fix.

I jumped back to dodge an attack, and Sora had jumped over to where I was, dodging an attack of his own. We landed within inches of each other, both of us holding up our keyblades to deflect the attacks that just kept coming. Suddenly the attacks just stopped. Sora heaved a sigh. With my eyes narrowed, I looked around the area.

I didn't know what to call it; we weren't in a room, but we weren't in mid-air either. The ground below us was perfectly stable, even though it looked like you could fall through it at any given time. It looked like this place seemed to go on forever, but there was some kind of barrier that kept you from leaving a certain area. If I was forced to pick a name for this strange place, I would go with void.

Sora turned to me with his signature grin. "Riku, we did it!" He dismissed his keyblade, and by doing so, he was left out in the open for attack.

I turned and put a hand on his shoulder. "Sora, I don't think Xemnas would give up that easily."

It was true. Xemnas wasn't one to give up at all, in fact, he seemed so determined that he would have to die before he surrendered. I could arrange that. But all the while I also couldn't, for Xemnas was a Nobody and Nobodies don't really die. They fade. It's a fairly complicated matter, and it's really hard to explain.

Sora's voice snapped me back into the situation. "What are you talking about? He's not here."

I shook my head. "No, he is. I can _feel_ it."

Sora sighed and summoned his keyblade again in a flash of light. "Fine, if you say so. I'll keep my guard up."

"Good." Was all I could think to say. I turned around, still scanning for our enemy.

Just then, I heard a shriek coming from behind me. I swerved around, hoping the cry belonged to something, _anything _other than Sora. Of course, I had to be wrong, because Sora, Xemnas, and I were the only ones here, in this void of a place. I saw a blur of a black and white coat, and I knew it had to be Xemnas. He attacked Sora when I was caught off guard! Xemnas stayed right there long enough to turn towards me and smirk before disappearing again.

Something in me wanted to just blindly attack the air around me, not caring whether or not Xemnas was in range. Instead, I fought that urge and searched for Sora. After a few moments, my gaze finally found him. He was about halfway across the 'void' from me and was lying there, unmoving. Which wasn't normal for the cheery, optimistic, ball of energy that Sora was.

I ran over to him, not knowing what I would do once I got there. Sora slowly rolled himself over, which meant he wasn't dead, which was a relief. I dropped to my knees beside him and looked into those deep blue eyes. "S-Sora, are you alright?" It was a rhetorical question and I knew it, but I couldn't help _but_ to ask. I knew he was going to say he was fine, even though I knew he wasn't. He looked unusually pale, and he looked so fragile, laying there. I was afraid that if I tried to move him, he would shatter into a thousand pieces.

I was right, too. Sora nodded and said, "I'm fine."

I shook my head slightly. "No, you're not."

Sora frowned a little. "If you're going to answer the question yourself, then why bother to ask?"

"Because I wanted to know if you would tell me that you're fine to spare my feelings even though you aren't. Here, drink this." I said as I gave him a potion.

Sora saw what was in my hand and grimaced, sitting up. At least now I knew movement doesn't mean shattering. Eyeing the bottle in my hand, he asked me, "Do I have to?"

I nodded and pushed the small, blue bottle into his hands. He sloshed the green potion inside of it around, obviously procrastinating. I nudged the bottle closer to him, silently requesting that he takes at least a sip. It would surely help how pale he was, and he would be able to stand without assistance.

Instead of taking a sip, however, Sora quickly brought the bottle up to his lips and downed the potion in three long gulps. I was a little shocked by his sudden action, but I smiled as I saw him recover almost instantly. He looked stronger than before, and I wondered if I had given him a mega potion instead of a regular one.

He sprung to his feet, summoning his keyblade and looking ready for anything, as if the last few minutes had never happened. I sighed and smirked the usual amused smirk that he had always earned from me, even when I wasn't in the mood to deal with him. I summoned my keyblade and stayed near Sora. I kept him within my eyesight, not wanting to take the risk of my friend getting hurt again.

Just then, it was black everywhere. I could just barely see my hand in front of my face. Sora was obviously freaking out, because he ran into me and both of us nearly toppled over. I grabbed the air in front of me, hoping I had grabbed Sora's arm. I had, and I pulled him a little closer to me. I looked wherever I thought his eyes were. "Calm down, Sora. It's not like we're dead."

That must have worked, because I heard a sigh coming from the darkness near me. I also heard something else. It sounded like. . . buzzing. My eyes widened as I remembered hearing that sound so many times during this battle. It was the sound that Xemnas' ethereal blades made, and the sound that the lasers he fired made.

Suddenly, the black around Sora and I was lit up with what looked like thousands of red dots. I looked around, now that I could see, and almost instantly found Xemnas. He laughed and pushed his hands together forcefully, causing the red dots around Sora and I to turn into and endless amount of lasers.

In just a few moments, Sora and I were jumping this way and that, trying our best to avoid lasers, deflect lasers, and protect each other all at the same time. I saw the area around us get brighter and brighter as the lasers came faster and faster until it was completely white.

By the time the bright light dissipated, Sora and I were on the ground, panting. Sora was close behind me. I didn't have enough strength to turn around and see if he was okay. I looked up. Xemnas was nowhere in sight. I sighed, but it blended into my panting. I could feel sweat dripping down my nose.

I heard a faint buzzing noise again. I wondered if Sora could hear it, but I knew he couldn't. Before I knew what was going on, I saw a flash of red coming closer to my face. I felt a burning pain on my head and I flew backwards. I heard Sora call out my name in a panicked tone. I wondered if the pain in my head had come from the blow I had just taken or just a normal headache.

I recovered quickly, though, and I looked up to see Xemnas pointing one of his ethereal blades at Sora. Something flared up inside of me, giving me a burst of energy. I saw Xemnas prepare to attack Sora, but I intervened. I quickly threw myself forward, pushing Sora back and passing Xemnas a little. Xemnas retorted to my outburst by spinning around with his ethereal blade held parallel to the ground, and he struck my back.

I hurt much more than I expected, and I let out a small groan of pain. Not even realizing I still had my keyblade, I watched as my arm flew up and my keyblade flew out of my hand and towards Sora. Sora, who was still recovering from how hard I pushed him backwards, planted his feet and lunged at Xemnas, using his left hand to catch my keyblade and attack.

I noticed how surprised Xemnas looked when Sora finally got to him, as he was still gloating a bit at how badly he hurt me. I couldn't help but smirk when the hunter became the hunted. I let Sora take care of whatever he was planning on doing while I recovered. I pulled out my last potion and, to my disappointment, found that it was half empty. That would barely be enough to help me fight, but I might be able to dodge attacks fairly well. If only I had decided to stay long enough to learn more than 'fire' during Merlin's magic class, I could just cast cure on Sora and I and jump back into the fight. But instead I had decided to rely on potions.

I rolled my eyes, refusing to focus on that. Mimicking Sora, I quickly brought the bottle to my lips and downed the green liquid inside of it. I winced at the bitter taste, but sighed as a small feeling of relief swept through me, dissolving the stinging feeling I got from being attacked by Xemnas' ethereal blades.

Just then, Sora landed on his feet next to me, saying my name and holding out his keyblade. I put my hand over his on the handle, and a faint light shimmered. I looked up at the tip of the keyblade and saw that it was glowing, a large orb of light beginning to form around it. The orb soon exploded, sending a thin laser of light straight through Xemnas.

It suddenly got bright again. Sora and I shielded our eyes- well, I'm sure _I_ did. I'm not sure about Sora. When the light faded, I saw Xemnas drop from above where he was, but he still hovered a bit off the 'ground.' I knew I hadn't recovered enough to help Sora with the final blow of battle, so I just watched his rush forward and give it as I got up and walked over to him.

"Cursed. . . Keyblade. . ." I heard Xemnas mutter. Those were his final words as he began to fade.

His fading was really dramatic, but at least he didn't talk our ears off as he faded or leave some cryptic message that we would have to decode like the others did.

When we were sure he was gone for good, we sighed a breath of relief. I looked at Sora and he beamed. "We did it!" He exclaimed again, though this time I was more sure of it than I was before.

I was about to respond when, out of nowhere, what looked like _thousands_ of dusks surrounded us. I instantly summoned my keyblade; Sora did the same. I muttered softly, "I wouldn't be too sure of that."

Sora looked the slightest bit frightened. I wanted to reach out and convince him that we would be okay, but in order to do that I would have to convince myself first. When five or six around us prepared to strike, even though I knew I had to potions to help me recover, I used the greater portion of my power to "take care of" all these unwanted Nobodies.

There was a bright flash of light, and I reopened my eyes to see a the few remaining dusks disappearing. I dropped to my knees in exhaustion. It only took a few seconds for Sora to turn around, gasp, and drop down near me, balancing himself on one foot and one knee. "Riku!"

"Sora, I can't. . ."

"Don't say another word." Sora said firmly, grabbing my arm and helping me up.

I winced at the sudden movement, but quickly adjusted to it as Sora moved me so he could keep us both balanced and still be able to walk.

"Sora?" I asked softly.

"Hmm?" Sora looked at me. I swear he looked so innocent, I almost couldn't believe he's been through countless battles.

I smiled a bit and said, "You lead."

Sora nodded. "Okay."

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**Okay, sooo that's that. My second KH fanfic, and if you didn't know already it's from Riku's POV. This is only here to distract impatient readers from the ever-long periods of time that I don't update stories. Oh, and just to let you guys know, my Zelda fanfic? It has not been forgotten, I just haven't had the time to work on it, plus I've got serious writer's block with that one. It may be a few more days before I update, so PLEASE BE PATIENT. For my sake? =3=**


	2. What Are You Doing Here?

**Okay, so Chapter 1 is FINALLY here. Sorry it got a bit short, I had to introduce a new character, and I suck at that. Mind you readers, there _is_ a very large time-lapse between the prologue and this chapter. (three months) So if you guys have beat KH2 and are about to flame on me that this never happened, I'm telling you now that there is a _slight_ AU and there is a time-lapse. Also, this chapter might get a little... out of proportion, seeing as I had to introduce a character, a villain, in fact, and make it seem like a casually-uncasual occurring kind of thing. You'll see what I mean when you read. And, this chapter could have been better, but I typed about half of it while I was half-asleep, so don't flame me. My writing sucks when I'm tired. **

**Wow, I really ranted on this one. **

**Hmm.**

**Once again, I do not own Kingdom Hearts, and if I did, Larxene would not exist. Period.**

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Chapter 1: What Are You Doing Here?

I groaned softly as my pencil broke. I reached for my pencil sharpener and walked across my room to go stand over the garbage can. I shoved the pencil into the sharpener and began to twist it, fighting off the urges I got to just run and jump into bed and sleep while the pencil shavings fluttered into the garbage.

When my pencil was sharp enough, I trudged back over to my desk, sitting down. Geez, if I had just done this on Wednesday, I wouldn't be doing it now. This assignment was due tomorrow, and I had to finish it to keep my grade up. I looked at the clock. 1:13 AM. Okay, correction, this assignment was due _today._ I sighed, adjusting the lamp on my desk so I could focus better. It didn't help. My vision was blurry, glazed over from how tired I was.

One half of me was screaming to just finish the stupid homework so you don't get in trouble, but my other half was screaming at me to just forget about the homework and go to bed. I held a hand up to my pounding head, trying to decide what I should do. Finish my homework, and risk falling asleep in class? Or go to sleep now, knowing that my mom will be in here in about 4 hours and 15 minutes to 'wake me up' and get the day started?

I sighed and closed my eyes. My head was pounding. I got up again and walked downstairs. I walked into the kitchen and rummaged around in the cabinet for some painkillers. Cough medicine. Nope. Fever. Nope. Sore throat. No, no, no. Finally, I found the bottle that said 'headache.' I stared at it for a little while, knowing how much I hate taking pills. I shook my head and took two small capsules out of the bottle. Being careful not to break them in my hand, I went to the fridge and got a bottle of water.

_If my mom asks about the missing water, I'll tell her I got thirsty, _I thought as I trudged up the stairs. When I finally got back to my room, I closed the door behind me and sat down back at my desk. I shot one last glare at the pills before I threw them into my mouth and took a few gulps of water to wash them down. I drank some more water to send the pills all the way. I winced as I felt them slowly crawl down my throat. _Is it possible for them to go any slower?_ I thought. I took a few more sips of water and set the bottle down on the desk.

I looked back down at the math homework. Stimulations. I groaned when I saw 'random numbers.' I opened the binder that was next to me and got out a sheet of paper. Then I turned to my backpack and got out the first highlighter I could reach, and of course, it had to be the brightest one I owned. I set the bright neon green highlighter down on the desk and got to work.

27, 85, 10, 34, 62, 09, 78. _I hate random numbers, _I thought as I continued to write the numbers down. 60, 91, 00, 45, 76, 29, 04. I finished up with writing the numbers, holding back the urge I had to just snap my pencil in half and go to sleep. I pulled the cap off my highlighter and began drawing thick lines over all the numbers between 00 and 49. After highlighting all those numbers, I decided I could do the rest of this in the morning. Or, at least in a few hours. I glanced at the clock again. 2:17 AM. I was up for nearly an hour for just _one problem?_

I groaned and yawned, too tired to mentally yell at myself for procrastinating. I finished the rest of the water in the bottle and walked over to the bed. I moved the covers and practically flopped into the bed. I was just about to fall asleep when I heard a deep sound that was similar to laughing, and a faint scream. And the scream sounded exactly like Sora's.

I shot up from the bed, summoning my keyblade and opening the door of my bedroom as quietly as I could. I gripped the handle tightly and walked down the stairs. Then a thought occurred to me. What would Sora be doing up this late, and if he _was _up, how on earth would I be able to hear him scream? He lives five houses down from me. Maybe that was my imagination.

But that laugh. . . that was real. It _had to be_ real. It sounded too real to be fake, and I know a fake laugh couldn't chill me to the bone the way that laugh did. This laugh. . . it wasn't a funny laugh; it was a horribly mocking laugh. I sighed and dismissed my keyblade, my tiredness beginning to take over. I walked back up the stairs and into my room. I sat on the bed.

That laugh had sounded so familiar. I put a hand up to my head. Despite the painkiller I took about an hour ago, my head was still pounding; and now it hurt more than before. I sighed. I knew I couldn't go to sleep with this headache, so I resorted to pacing around my room.

Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. I felt the headache get worse, but why? Suddenly, the pain got unbearable. I stumbled over to the bed, holding my head in my hands, and layed on it. I tossed and turned, trying my best to fight off the pain. It didn't work. My mind became overcrowded with pictures; some of them I recognized, some of them were too blurry to see, and some of them were so horrifying that I just couldn't watch.

I held back a pained scream, instead letting out a loud and long groan. Then, the headache just disappeared. I sighed at the sudden relief, really not expecting it. I opened my eyes, my blurry vision clearing. I turned my head and my eyes widened. I shook my head slowly. "Not you. . ."

"What? Don't you miss me?"

"No! What are you doing here?" I hissed at the silver-haired man in front of me, trying to keep my voice low so I didn't wake up my mom.

Ansem, the seeker of darkness, laughed. "Your antics amuse me, boy."

"You never answered my question." I growled, getting up. I walked over to Ansem and glared up at him. I hated that he was taller than me, but he was, and there was nothing I could do about that. "What are you doing here? You should have disappeared when I defeated you." I recalled my time in Castle Oblivion. He was there, haunting me throughout my whole journey, trying to get me to succumb to darkness. In the end, though, I battled him and won out. He should be gone. So why is he here now?

He just laughed again and asked, "Then how could I be here now, if I 'disappeared?' You can't get rid of me, Riku. There will forever be darkness in your heart, and as long as it remains, I can still be!"

I summoned my keyblade and said, "You're not real! This is just a nightmare! This isn't real! _You're _not real!" I struck with my weapon, but it just went right through him. I gasped and attacked again, but it still went right through him. It was like attacking air.

He laughed at me again. What was I doing that he found so amusing? The next thing I knew, there was something around me that felt like giant hands and I was being lifted off the ground. I tried to struggle, my feet kicking the air. I couldn't move. I glared at Ansem again, and I saw his shadowy other looking at me from behind him with those empty and emotionless white orbs that were supposed to be eyes. I gritted my teeth as I felt the hands around me tighten.

"You dare try to fight me?" Ansem smirked as his shadow tightened its grip on me even more.

I felt numbness wash over my arms, and I dropped my keyblade. It disappeared in a small flash of light. "Let me. . . go. . ." I could barely manage to speak as I felt the air leave my body.

Ansem laughed again. "You amuse me to no end, boy."

"What so funny?" I said, using my remaining amount of air.

Ansem shook his head and laughed again.

My lungs burned, demanding to be refilled with air that I couldn't give them. My vision began to darken around the edges, and I slowly passed out to the sound of Ansem's mocking laughter. The last thing I saw was Ansem disappearing, and I felt his shadowy other drop me to my bedroom floor. I winced and gasped for air. But I was too late, and I blacked out.

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**Ahaha, this chapter really sucked didn't it? And it was short. I usually type a bit more. I'll make sure to have chapter 2 be a lot longer to make up for the lack of words in this one. So, yeah. I bet you guys already guessed that Ansem was going to be in this story just my looking at the title, but hey, it's nice to feel confirmed on your rightness. So yeah.**

**To review or not to review. That is the question. (Please tell me what I did wrong on this chapter. I know there was a lot, but I'd like to know what I need to work on the most. Hahaha...)**


	3. Where? He Says

**How long has it been...? 1, 2 months since the last update? I. Am. So. Sorry. I cannot stress that enough. Ummm...**

**Disclaimer?**

**Me: I don't own.**

**Riku: Why not?**

**Sora: Yeah, why don't you own?**

**Me: If I knew why, don't you think I would own by now?**

**Sora & Riku: Good point.**

**Me: *sighs***

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Chapter 2: "Where?" He Says

I woke up and groaned, feeling the metal springs of the couch digging into my back. I opened my eyes, putting a hand up to my head. It hurt, but not as bad as last night, at least.

Last night.

Last night! I jolted up with a gasp. I looked around frantically, hoping my mom hadn't heard anything that happened. I slowly got up, my body feeling heavy. I looked around again, this time a lot calmer, and realized what room I was in. This was my dad's old office. I haven't been in here since. . . no, I won't think about that. Not now.

I walked out of the room, my eyes stinging from forbidden tears of the unforgotten things that happened in that room. I pushed back all the memories. I don't cry. I won't start now. I quietly walked through the hallway. I wasn't sure what time it was, or if it was still Friday. But I knew it didn't matter. I resisted the urge I got to summon my keyblade and slice something up and walked up the stairs.

My first instinct was to walk into my room. I had my hand on the doorknob when I heard a gasp coming from down the hall. I looked up quickly. I saw my mom rushing towards me. I froze. I didn't know what to do. What _could _I do? I just stood there as my mom walked up to me, grabbed my arm, and dragged me over to the nearest bed, which was in her room.

"What are you doing up, Riku? You should still be downstairs!" My mom fussed.

I just watched as she paced back and forth around the room, opening boxes and bags here and there as if she were looking for something. "I didn't know I wasn't supposed to walk around the house." I said quietly.

She paused, looked at me, and sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just that I'm worried about you, Riku."

I looked at her questioningly. "Why?"

She walked over and sat down next to me on her bed. "Well, I woke up this morning to a loud thud, so I walked into your room to ask you and see if you knew what happened, but when I got in there I found you collapsed on the floor. At first, I just thought that you had just fallen out of bed and rolled around quite a bit. I walked over to you and tried to wake you up, but you didn't wake up. I tried calling out your name, I tried shaking you, I even tried pouring water on your face." _Well, that would explain why my hair is a little wet._ I thought. "But nothing worked. I was really starting to panic now. I felt your forehead to check for a fever, and you had one, a bad one at that. After that, I brought you downstairs and into the coldest room of the house to see if it would bring down the fever. I saw the school bus go by while I was making some tea for when you woke up, and I knew that you weren't going to go to school until Monday."

I looked away from her. "I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble, mom."

She pulled me into a hug and I didn't hesitate to hug her back. "Riku, something like that was out of your control. You don't have to apologize."

I smiled. "Thanks, mom. Love you."

She let me go and smiled warmly back at me. "Love you, too."

**Sora's POV**

I sighed as I got off the bus. I waved to Kairi, who lives a few streets away from my house, and who was still on the bus. The good part was, she lived close enough for me to walk to her house. The bad part was, she lived too far away to come to the same bus stop as me in the morning.

"Where was he?" I said under my breath.

It was really lonely at the bus stop this morning. Since Riku and I are the only ones that come to this one, it's pretty 'empty' when one person isn't standing here with the other. I was alone today, because Riku wasn't here. I wonder what's up.

I paused as I walked by his house. A two-story house, just like all the other houses in the neighborhood, but for some reason Riku's house seemed bigger than the rest of the houses. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed my mom's cell phone number.

"Hello?" I smiled when I heard my mom's voice on the other side of the line.

"Hi, mom. How are you?" I asked. This was the way my mom taught me to start all phone calls. Say hello, address the person, and ask how they're doing.

"I'm fine, Sora. How about you?"

"I'm doing great, thanks for asking."

"So, Sora." My mom's voice sounded a bit distorted. I blame suckish cell connection. "Did you need something?"

I began walking up Riku's driveway. "Oh, I was just calling to ask you if I could go over to Riku's house for a while."

I heard a chuckle from the other side of the line. "Sora, of course you can! You know you don't really have to ask anymore!"

I sighed. "Thanks, mom. I'll try to get home soon, okay?"

"That's alright, honey. You can stay as long as you want."

I smiled again as I walked up the porch steps. "Thanks again. I love you."

"I love you too, Sora-bear!" My mom exclaimed in a sing-song voice.

I laughed a little. "Bye, mom."

"Bye, honey!"

I hung up the phone and rang the Tsumora's doorbell. It opened after about a minute or so. I expected to see Riku, because he usually answers the door, but instead his mom wa standing there. I smiled brightly. "Hi, Ms. Tsumora!"

She smiled back at me. "Hello, Sora. How are you?"

"I'm fine, how about yourself?" Yes, I can manage to have extremely casual conversations with adults. I love that quality about myself.

"I've been better. . ." She said, and her smile dropped a bit. "But nevermind that. What are you doing still standing outside? Come in, come in!"

She moved to the side and motioned for me to walk in. I nodded my thanks, and took off my shoes near the place mat. _So that's how she keeps her carpets so clean, _I thought as my socks carefully glided over the wooden floor, making their way towards the very carpet mentioned. _I've got to get my mom to start doing that; our carpets could really use the break!_

"So, what's been on your mind?" I asked once I sat down on the couch.

Ms. Tsumora blinked and just looked at me for a few painstakingly long minutes before responding. "Oh, it's nothing, Sora, really. I'm fine." She sighed. "If you're looking for Riku, he's in his room."

I smiled and muttered a soft 'Thank you' and started up the stairs. When I came to Riku's bedroom door, I was almost surprised to find it closed. Riku _always_ has his door open, as far as I know. But hey, I might be wrong. I knocked softly on the door. "Riku. . ." I whispered.

"Come in." I heard a soft reply and I slowly opened the door.

When I was fully in the room, I closed the door behind me as quietly as possible. Thank god this was not a squeaky door. I turned around and saw Riku sitting on his bed with his back against the wall. I smiled at him. "Hi, Riku."

He looked at me for a moment before replying, "Hey, Sora."

I walked over to the bed and sat down next to him on it. I pushed myself back until my back hit the wall. I fumbled around a bit, trying to get my legs into the same position Riku's were in. He was sitting with his legs crossed, and for some reason I was unable to do that too. It's like I was born without the ability to sit criss-cross-applesauce like everyone else could. I would blame how long my legs are, but they weren't always like this, and everyone else who can sit like that perfectly has longer leg than me, so it can't be that. I sighed and gave up, letting my feet dangle off the edge of the bed.

Riku chuckled. "Having a little trouble there, Sora?"

I attempted to glare at him, but the laugh that escaped me made anything of what was a serious demeanor evaporate. "No." I grumbled. "How do you do that?"

Riku looked at me questioningly, except for the fact he knew exactly what I was talking about. "Do what?"

"You know what I mean!" I fussed. "How do you _sit _like that? I must know!"

Riku laughed a little and unfolded his legs. "Well, first you take one leg and bend it like _this,"_ He took his right leg and moved it so his foot was under the knee of his left leg. "And then you just move this leg like _this."_ He took his left leg, which wasn't bent, and he bent it so his toes were up against his other knee. "And it's as simple as that."

I tried to do what he did. And I failed. "Can you show me again?" I asked.

"Okay." Riku said, demonstrating his 'ways of sitting' again.

I tried a few more times. After about ten tries later, having Riku have to do the same thing over and over seven times, I finally gave up with a grumble of defeat. I looked at him and smiled. "You know, Riku, you're going to have to give me _very_ detailed instructions on how you do that."

He laughed. "You'll have to remind me; you know I'll forget!"

I laughed along. One more quality that I love about myself; I know how to make Riku laugh.

**Riku's POV**

I laughed along with Sora. I've been feeling better already ever since he walked into the room. I don't know how it happened; maybe it's his bubbly demeanor. I mentally shrugged. Whatever it was, I was glad that what ever happened, happened.

Shortly after our laughs died down, Sora looked at me with a very serious look on his face. I looked at him, hoping my face didn't show any signs of worry. "Sora? Are you alright?" I asked.

Sora nodded. "I'm fine, I've just got a question."

I furrowed my eyebrows a bit. "Okay, ask away." I said, making sure my voice projected a little bit of confusion.

Sora just looked at me for a little bit, and I could tell he was dead serious about whatever he had to ask. "So, Riku. Where were you this morning?"

I blinked at the question. "I was here." I said.

"Why?" He asked.

My mind was starting to panic and I looked away. "I had a fever. A really bad one." I said simply.

He looked at me, and when I looked back at him he looked like he was staring into my soul. "There's something else, isn't there?" He said after a few minutes.

I shook my head. "No. . ."

Sora shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure there's something. I've got a hunch- and my hunches are always right!"

_He's right, _I thought. "Ah, well. . ." I began.

* * *

**Eeeep, that's it. I could only spout so much. I hope you don't mind the cliffhanger... hahahahaha... (please don't kill me!)**

**Like I said before, I cannot stress it enough how sorry I am for making you wait so long. I hope the amount of time it took to think of this, put it to words, and type it here gave this chapter justice...**

**Two things to blame for all this... **

**(1) Writer's Block**

**(2) Suckish Internet Connection**


	4. Don't Tell Anyone

**First things first: I was actually supposed to have this on 2 days ago. It would have been, too, but I felt this chapter needed to be longer. Soo, yeah.**

**Anyways, Disclaimer!**

**Me: Square Enix? Can I have KH?**

**SE: NO!**

**Me: Well fine! I'll call you Square _Soft_ from now on, then! **

**SE: Where'd you get that from?**

**Me: Kingdom Hearts 1, duh! **

**SE: ...**

**Me: So there you have it, I do not own Kingdom Hearts.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Don't Tell Anyone

Sora stared at me intently. "What is it, Riku?"

I looked away from him and at the floor. "Do you promise not to tell anyone?"

When I looked back up at him Sora nodded. "Not a single soul. I swear on my favorite pair of shoes and my favorite shirt." He said sincerely, holding up his right hand.

I smiled at his antics and then frowned when I realized what I was about to tell him about. Tons of warning bells went off in my head. I really didn't want to, but I said I would tell him. I even made him promise he wouldn't tell anyone. There was no getting out of this one. I took a deep breath and said softly, "He's back."

Sora just looked at me, evidently confused. "What? Who's back?"

I mentally kicked myself. Like Sora would understand with just that. _Lack of details, Riku, _I thought. "From Castle Oblivion. . ." I couldn't bring myself to say full sentences.

Sora scratched his head. "I still don't get it. . ."

I shook my head internally. Sora _was_ always a little slow with everything. I sighed and said, "It's him. . . He's been haunting me ever since we left the island for the first time. . . It's. . . Ansem."

As soon as his name came out of my mouth, I felt my face heat up and I got an extremely painful headache that came like a slap to the face. I grabbed my head, trying to fend the feeling off. "R-Riku?" Sora said, worried.

I glued my eyes shut, hoping that might help the pain. No, it just got worse.

Sora put a hand on my shoulder, obviously trying to help me in some way, but his touch was red hot. I had to keep myself from flinching away; he's my best friend. I can't do that to him when he's trying to be helpful. "Riku? I'm going to go get your mom." He moved to get off the bed, but I quickly reached out and grabbed his wrist to keep him from going any farther.

I shook my head, the pain only getting worse. "No... don't, Sora." I strained to even say this. The pictures, those horrid pictures from before, whenever that was, were starting to come back. Except, they're more vivid and detailed than last time.

Sora didn't try to struggle; he knew I was the stronger of the both of us. "But Riku, you're..." He trailed, seeming to not have the ability to find the right word for whatever was happening to me.

I couldn't find the right word either. "Please, just don't get her." I begged, gripping my head tighter with my free hand. Ansem... don't come back. Not while Sora's here. You're my problem to deal with; mine alone.

_In that case..._

I heard those three words followed by echoed laughter. I looked up and looked around frantically, searching for him. This didn't help my headache any, though, and if it was possible it got worse.

"Riku, please, I just want to help." Sora said quietly.

And then I began questioning myself. Didn't I want to handle this alone? Isn't that what I had resolved from the beginning? Why I had never really asked for help when I drifted through the darkness? Wasn't it just... handed to me? On the other hand, Sora was just trying to help. Everyone was always _just trying to help_. They were just doing what felt right to them, what was in their hearts. But why... Why would anyone want to help me with the problems that I had brought upon myself? It was all me. It was all my fault...

I began to get frustrated. Why was I conflicting myself? "Sora, I..."

And then the relief came. My head stopped throbbing, but the pain lingered, as I knew what was coming next. I finally released my grip on Sora, opened my eyes, and looked up nonchalantly. "See? All better..." I trailed, even though I knew things would only get worse from here.

Sora didn't respond, and his gaze was fixed on something in front of us. I grimaced and turned my head, only to be faced with him. "Ansem..." I growled, my temper rising uncontrollably for some reason. "I thought I told you I wanted to handle this alone."

Ansem just laughed at me. "Oh, but why not get the young keyblade bearer involved too?" He shot a look at Sora, who I saw squirm just a little.

I glared at Ansem. "Like I said the first time, what is so funny?"

Sora put a hand on my shoulder and squeaked out, "F-first time?"

I looked at him, then looked away. "I'll have to explain later..." I trailed.

Ansem laughed again. "You speak as if there will be a later."

I got up, straining to keep my balance as the aftershock of my headache came. "Because there _will_ be a later." I did my best to give a menacing glare.

Ansem scowled and crossed his arms. "We'll see about that." He growled. I saw a dark figure rising up behind him as Sora gasped. Those freakin' hollow white orbs were staring at me again. I looked away from them and glared at Ansem.

"Whatever you're planning, don't think you'll get away with it." I said darkly.

"Oh, but I think I'll be winning this battle." He said with a smirk.

I furrowed my eyebrows and was about to say some kind of comeback when a giant hand grabbed me and threw me across the room.

**Sora's POV**

I nearly screamed when Ansem's shadow grabbed Riku and threw him. He hit the bookshelf hard, and a small _crack_ noise could be heard. Oh god, Riku, what just happened?! Riku groaned and shot a glare at his left arm. His hand was sitting in a very awkward position. There was no doubt that either his arm or wrist was broken. Or maybe both, for all I know. And he had _just_ gotten the other bandages off, too...

I looked back at Ansem, who looked like he was having the hardest time keeping a serious look on his face. I summoned my keyblade, but my hand was shaking so much I could barely hold it. God, why was I so afraid? I defeated him before, about a year and a half ago, and the memory was still vivid. If I did it then, couldn't I do it now?

Ansem must have noticed my fear, or he was just being plain evil, because he turned and began advancing on me. I scooted back onto the bed until my back hit the wall. Ansem came closer still. I held up my weapon and pointed it at him. "B-back off." I managed to get out.

Ansem laughed. "You may have defeated me some time ago, young keyblade wielder, but I can see that the strength you had back then has... diminished."

I shook my head, my hand still shaking but my keyblade still pointed at him. "N-no it h-hasn't." I mumbled childishly. What kind of comeback was that?

As Ansem was about to reply, I saw something go through him and into the wall next to my head. I yelped and tried to move away from it. When I got a good look at it, though, I saw it turned out to be Riku's keyblade. It disappeared in a flash of light, and I looked past Ansem and at Riku. He was standing now, and his hand looked like it was back it its proper place. Did he do that thing they do in movies and pop it back into place? That's pretty cool...

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I can't afford to be thinking about frivolous things like that right now. I used the moment that Ansem was distracted to my advantage and swiftly got up and jumped off the bed. I ran over to Riku and stood in front of him, holding my keyblade in a sort of defensive position. There was no way I was letting him get hurt again.

**Riku's POV**

Sora stood in front of me with his keyblade raised. "Sora..." I mumbled, wincing at the pain in my wrist. I had _just_ gotten the other bandages off, too... I felt the handle of my keyblade materialize in my other hand, and I gripped it tightly. Why did this have to happen now, of all times?

Sora held his ground and kept his eyes trained forward, his gaze not leaving Ansem for even a split second.

I internally sighed and moved next to him, holding my keyblade in an offensive stance. I looked over at Sora, who looked at me and nodded. I nodded back and refocused my attention back to Ansem.

He had an amused look on his face. "Idiots. Fine, if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get." Ansem said and then snapped his fingers, causing everything in my room to be engulfed by darkness.

I tensed, getting ready for what might be coming. After a few uneventful moments, either the darkness dissipated or my eyes adjusted to it, because I could see. I looked around, scanning the area. I saw Sora doing the same.

We were standing on a light gray circular platform, and we were surrounded by thirteen pillars of the same color. The insignia of the Nobodies was large and quite visible on the floor, being a few shades darker than everything else around it. My eyes widened as realization dawned on me. This was the same room that I did most of my battles in back at Castle Oblivion. I growled as some memories came flashing back.

Sora and I were temporarily frozen by nostalgia. I recovered first. I looked over at Sora, who was still in his heavy daze, and sighed. He's probably had many more battles here than I have. I can't blame him for that... I shook my head and scanned the room again. No signs of Ansem.

Strange.

I looked around one more time, and this time a figure crossed my line of sight. I looked back and focused on the figure, and it turned out to be Ansem. Was there a sort of lag when he teleported us all here? Whatever. It doesn't matter. What does is that he's here, I'm here, Sora is here, and that we're about to go to battle. That's all.

Sora finally snapped out of his reverie and looked forward. Ansem snapped his fingers again with a small laugh, and he was engulfed in darkness. His shadowy other, however, was completely unaffected by this process and stared at us blankly. I rolled my eyes at it.

When the cloud of darkness disappeared, Ansem looked more... solid than he did back in my room. He looked like I could actually land a hit on him, but that also made him that much stronger. I sighed. Sora and I really were not prepared to go into battle. We don't have the right clothes on... He's in his school uniform and I'm in my pajamas. But, despite the odds of us losing, I grinned and chuckled a little. "So." I said, pointing my keyblade at Ansem. "Let the battle begin."

Ansem smirked. "So it shall." He said. I looked over at Sora and nodded. He nodded back and we began to move in. Ansem just stayed where he was, even though we slowly began advancing on him. He's letting us have the first move. _That's your mistake... _I thought as I picked up my pace to attack.

Ansem saw this and moved to the left to try and dodge my attack, but I swerved to the right, got behind him, and shot him with my Dark Firaga. It left a large burn spot on his clothes. I smiled internally and did a cart-wheel to put some distance in between us as Sora moved in to attack.

Sora wasn't as lucky as I was, though, and he got the first of Ansem's attacks. Sora quickly moved out of the way when Ansem's shadowy other swept a fist near him, obviously intending to send him flying across the room. Sora countered by doing a small spin in the air and hitting the shadow hard on its arm. A small sound of something breaking could be heard, and the shadow roared out in pain. Ansem winced and held a hand up to his arm, as if the attack was dealt to him and not to his shadow.

I then motioned for Sora to move a little, and he complied, moving to the left. I shot another fireball at Ansem, and it quickly reached its mark. Ansem countered with... his shadow disappearing? He smirked and directed his attention to Sora, sending giant orbs of dark energy his way.

I just looked on, flustered. What did his shadow disappearing have to do with anything? Sora glanced over at me as he dodged another energy ball. His eyes widened and he yelled, "Riku! Look out!"

I furrowed my eyebrows. Just then, there was a small _boom_ noise. I quickly looked around, searching for the origin. Finally, I looked down and I saw a giant black spot underneath my feet. I quickly moved off of it, only for it to follow me. There was another boom, and I jumped a little, not expecting it.

I started running around the room, trying my best to get away from the black circle that kept following me. Ansem and Sora were too distracted by each other to pay any attention to me, and I was very happy about that. They wouldn't notice how much of an idiot I probably looked like. Thank god. I looked back at the circle, and it had disappeared, to my surprise.

I didn't know how to react. I stopped running and stared at the ground, wondering if my eyes were playing tricks on me. I looked at Sora, confused, and when he finally looked back at me he froze. Ansem had noticed this and smirked at me, then threw his arms up and yelled something I couldn't understand. I looked back at Sora. He was pointing at something behind me and flailing his arms around. He looked like he was trying to tell me something but couldn't get the words out.

I slowly began to turn around, but I was too late and a giant pair of hands grabbed me. Ugh. Deja vu. I tried to struggle out of the grip, but that only resulted in it getting tighter. I saw Sora try to move in and help me, but he was attacked by... another of Ansem's shadows?

I could have sworn he only had one...

Sora looked like he was having trouble with this second shadow. I gritted my teeth and tried to escape the giant hands again but to no avail. "Ansem!" I yelled, drawing his attention. "What are you trying to do here?"

He simply shrugged. "Improvising, I guess."

I just stared at him, dumbfounded at his reply. "Well uh... it's really not like you to get reckless..." I said slowly, unsure whether or not this was part of his plan.

Ansem crossed his arms and bowed his head. "I'm up against two of the best keyblade weilders of their time... by _myself._ If I didn't do something fast, I would probably end up dying."

What is he trying to pull off here? No, I can't seem suspicious... Try to act nonchalant and unaware, Riku. "I guess you're right..." I said, following my mental directions.

Ansem turned to me and grinned evilly. "I _am_ right, so I had to come up with something."

He slowly began to walk towards me. I tried to move away, but I forgot that I was trapped. I glanced at Sora, who seemed to have gotten the upper hand in his battle with the other shadow. A part of me smiled; at least he was faring well. "Uh... what do you mean by that?" I asked, looking back at Ansem.

"You'll see..." Ansem said.

Everything happened in fast forward after that. I glanced at Sora, who was winning against the shadow when it just disappeared. I saw the bewildered expression on his face. I looked back at Ansem. In a flash of darkness, a sword appeared in his hand. I didn't even have enough time to gasp before he lunged...

...and impaled me in the stomach.

My eyes were wide, but my vision kept blacking in and out. Like strobe lights, or something. Is this what it feels like to die? I heard Sora yell out my name, his voice a mix of panic, fury, and sorrow. It sounded nothing like his. I heard a coughing noise, and I soon realized it was me. I tasted blood in my mouth, and I knew. I was choking on my own blood.

Without me knowing it, Ansem had somehow gotten close enough to whisper in my ear. "Step one in my plan: Take out the stronger."

With a sadistic laugh, he backed away from me and, painstakingly slow, pulled out the sword. I coughed and closed my eyes. The shadow either disappeared or let go, because I felt myself falling forward after the sword was finally out. I caught myself, though, and was sitting there on all fours in a pool of my own blood. Why does this feel so familiar? Oh yeah...

...it was one of those pictures I saw whenever Ansem showed up. I didn't think they were real, though...

I opened my eyes. The world looked strange. Disoriented, flashing in and out of view, and everything was just a bit wavy. Am I seriously dying? I closed my eyes again and waited for the end.

**Sora's POV**

"RIKU!" I screamed. No! He can't die! He just _can't! _

God, no... his only hope is if I remember how to do the "Cure" spell! Ugh, why can't Donald be here!? He was always better with magic than I was! I thought... "Cure." I said firmly. Nothing happened. "Cure." I said again. Nothing. Didn't I say something else, though? What was it... "Heal." I said. Almost instantly, I felt relief wash over me as a faint green light surrounded me. That was it!

Without hesitation, I focused all my attention on Riku. I opened my eyes one last time. He was laying there, unmoving, and just barely breathing. Faster, Sora, faster! I snapped my eyes shut and focused. "Heal!" I yelled loudly.

I opened my eyes. I saw a giant white flower floating over Riku. He was practically glowing green. In a few moments, the flower overhead disappeared in a shower of small white petals. It worked! Thank god! I ran over to Riku. He rolled over, coughing.

Ugh! If I just had a potion... I could help him feel a little better...

"Riku?" I said quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He looked at me. His viridian eyes lit up. "You... saved my life. Thank you, Sora." He whispered.

I was speechless, not knowing what to say. Instead I just nodded, stood up, and began to look around the room. I had a horrible feeling of deja vu wash over me. I quickly flashbacked to the fight with Xemnas. What happened to Riku then isn't even _half_ as bad as what happened to him now. I searched for Ansem. He would pay.

I saw Ansem in the center of the room. His shadowy other was in its usual spot behind him. It stared at Riku and I blankly, the same way it had before this battle began. I wanted to run over and attack, but something kept me riveted to the spot I was standing in. The grip on my keyblade tightened as Ansem laughed.

He snapped his fingers and the room became engulfed in darkness, just as Riku's room had been. I guess the battle's over.

**Riku's POV**

Sora saved my life. I closed my eyes and began to doze off as the room became engulfed in darkness. I smiled inside when I felt the softness of my covers under me. My head hit the pillow, and I felt the mattress shift. Sora.

I rolled over to face away from the wall and opened my eyes. Sora was eye level with me. I smiled weakly at him. Behind him, I saw a figure fading, slowly disappearing. Ansem smirked at me before he disappeared completely. I directed my attention back to Sora, trying to ignore the chill that ran up my spine.

_I'll be back... _I heard Ansem's voice echo through my head. I tried to ignore that, too.

Sora gave me a small smile. His eyes brightened a bit when he said, "If anyone asks, I accidentally spilled red paint everywhere when I dropped my bag."

I chuckled and said, "Agreed."

He grinned and grabbed the red paint out of his bag. He walked over to the trashcan and threw it away. I smiled. "Thanks again, Sora." He nodded.

I rolled over again and was just about to doze off when there was a loud rapping noise coming from the window, followed by a feminine voice yelling, "Hey, Rikuuuuu!"

I groaned. I was just about to get some sleep, too...

* * *

**You didn't _really_ think I was gonna let Riku die, did you? Aha, no. He's my favorite fudgin' character in the whole game! Why would I do that! (I'm just letting you know now, I reeeallly hate myself for this chapter.) **

**Have a merry Christmas! This of this as a three-day-in-advance gift. :D**

** ~Electro**


	5. A Crush

**So here's chapter 4! This chapter is dedicated to Black Night Shadow, my best friend, an awesome author, and the girl who I will be making a joint account with soon! :D So you can thank her for this chapter.**

**Disclaimer:**

**Me: I liefully and dishonestly own Kingdon Hearts.**

**SE: Say it directly, don't use word games!**

**Me: No! You're recording this; and I already said it!**

**SE: You leave us with no choice... Disney. Bring him out.**

**Bathier *my FAV character from Final Fantasy 12*: What the?!**

**Me: O_O ... SQUEEEEEE! ...I mean, KYAAAAA! **

**Balthier: ...**

**Me: No, keep talking...**

**Balthier: Court-san doesn't own Kingdom Hearts... or me.**

**Me: That's only true because you said it... **

**SE: *high fives Disney* Mission Accomplished!**

* * *

Chapter 4: A Crush

Sora looked at me. "Who's that?"

I pulled a pillow over my head, extremely happy that my mom had offered to put curtains on the window. "Just ignore it..." I mumbled.

The rapping came again. "Riku, open up!"

"Go away, Jaymi!" I said loud enough for her to hear through the window.

Jaymi sighed audibly and stopped tapping the window. "Pleeease, Riku?"

Sora looked at the window, then back at me. "Can I...?"

I rolled over and just looked at him. The look on his face said that he really wanted to, but was unsure if it was the right thing to do. I sighed and said, "Are you sure?"

Sora nodded and took a small step towards the window.

I rolled back over, closed my eyes, and mumbled, "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you. And be careful with the curtains..."

Sora smiled and celebrated his victory by marching over to the window, carefully pulling the navy blue curtains to the side, and throwing the window open. When the window was fully open, I heard a shout that sounded like "ATTACK!", Sora gasp, and a loud thud. When I looked back over at them I saw that Jaymi had tackled Sora and now they were in a small pile on the floor.

I had to keep my laughter contained. I wanted to see what would happen next.

Jaymi stared at Sora with a happy face. "Heeey, Riku..." When she finally got a good look at Sora her face changed to confused. "Wait, you're not Riku! Who are you and what did you do with Riku!" She began looking frantically around the room.

Sora had a flustered look on his face. "My name is Sora Dasate, I'm 15 years old, one year younger than Riku, I live five houses down from here, my favorite color is blue-" Sora's stammering was cut off.

"I didn't ask for your life story, _Sora_, I wanna know where Riku is!" Jaymi looked back down at Sora, paused, and then put him in a choke hold. "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH RIKU?!" She yelled, shaking him wildly.

"Okay, that's enough." I said with a laugh, slowly getting out of bed. I winced at the pain in my stomach and moved to sit on the end.

Jaymi let go of Sora and pounced on me. "Riku! Were you sitting there the whole time?!"

I pushed her off of me, wincing again. "Yeah..."

After a few moments of Jaymi ranting on about how I should have shown myself, Sora decided to speak up. "Riku." He said.

I just looked at him. That sounded nothing like him. Too serious... "Yes, Sora?" I said hesitantly.

He got up from the floor and walked up to the bed, standing directly in front of me. He didn't meet my gaze at all. "Riku, you..." He said softly.

I put a hand on his shoulder, worried by this sudden change in him. "Sora? You can tell me..." I said.

He put his hands on both of my shoulders. "Riku, I-"

He was interrupted by a squealing noise coming from where Jaymi was. When we looked over, we saw that Jaymi was red in the face, had a crazy grin, and was staring at us intently.

"Uhh, Jaymi?" I said uncertainly.

She looked us over, then looked on into space, as if contemplating something. She then looked back at us, her grin even wider than before. "Yep! You're perfect!"

"What?" Sora and I said together, confused.

She laughed maniacally and pointed at us. "Sora and Riku... Riku and Sora... Sor...Riku... SoRiku! Or... Riku... Sora... Ri... So.. RiSo! Yes! Just perfect!"

"Jaymi, what are you talking about?" I asked, starting to get annoyed and worried at the same time. This has never happened before...

"You guys would make the _perfect_ couple!" She yelled, waggling a finger at us.

"WHAT?!" Sora and I yelled together. We looked back at each other, and then at her, and then back at each other. Then Sora blushed furiously and turned away while I facepalmed.

"Jaymi... No. Just... no." I mumbled.

She frowned. "NOOOOO, YOU'RE DENYING YOUR LOOOOOOOVE!" She waved her arms around frantically.

I could tell Sora was still too shocked to say anything. I couldn't blame him. "Jaymi... just stop..."

Jaymi stood up, still flailing her arms around. "WHY?! GIVE ME A GOOD REASON YOU DENY YOUR LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVEE!"

It was then that Sora snapped out of his reverie. "Jaymi, he's not denying me of anything. In fact... I like someone else."

She scoffed. "Who else could be better than Riku?!"

I'm sure a slight pink dusted my cheeks after that comment. Trying my best to will it away, I said, "Well Jaymi, I'm flattered by your comment, but I like someone else too."

Sora gasped and looked mock-shocked. Or maybe he was really shocked. "What? Riku, you have a crush?! Whaaaaaaa? How come _I _didn't know about it?"

I just looked right back at him. "Gee, Sora, I thought you already knew."

Sora shook his head. "No... Will you tell me?"

I looked over at Jaymi. She kept mouthing something that looked like "juicy gossip". I frowned. I motioned to Jaymi. "I'll tell you when she leaves."

Jaymi groaned. "Why can't you tell him while I'm here?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Because. Knowing you, the minute I say it is the minute you run off and tell practically the whole school." I sighed and shook my head. "I _still_ haven't lived down what happened the _last time_ I told you something like that."

She stared at me in mock-shock. "That teddy bear incident was _not_ my fault! It was _your_ fault; you shouldn't have been sleeping on the beach with it!"

I rolled my eyes. "Well, let me set the record straight. That teddy bear was not named Mr. Shnuggles or _whatever_ you said it was. My 4-year-old cousin gave it to me because she was afraid the monsters under her bed would come out and try to steal it. I had to give it back 2 years from then. She'll be getting it back later this year, in December. I was supposed to take care of it but I accidentally left it on the island before all... that stuff happened and I went to go get it back. Since it was a weekend, and it was dark, and I was tired, I layed down on the beach and dozed off. I held the bear in my arms because _I didn't want to lose it again._ Got it?" I motioned to the silver teddy bear on my dresser. It had hearts around its eyes, and its outfit consisted of a black fedora, a black tuxedo, and dark sunglasses. I remember his name was Agent R. My cousin, Alice, she named it after me because it was silver and my hair was silver. She added "Agent" to it after she started watching spy movies with Brian, her older brother.

Jaymi just looked at me, her eyes wide. She shook her head. "Nooo... You've got to be lying..."

I shook my head in return. "I'm not."

Sora backed me up. "Yeah, he told me what happened when he first got Agent R!"

I turned and smiled at Sora. He gave me a thumbs up back. I turned back to Jaymi. "So please, don't spread rumors about me. I really don't like it."

Jaymi grumbled something under her breath. "Fine." She said, crossing her arms. She then huffed, moved to the window, threw it open, and jumped out. I heard a soft thud as she landed on the ground.

Sora gasped and ran over to the window while I sat, unfazed. "Is she alright?! That was a fall from the second floor!"

I heard Jaymi call down from below. "Oh, no, it was nothing! But thanks for your concern! You shouldn't worry; I've been doing this for months! I'm well-trained!" I could imagine her grinning widely and giving a thumbs up before running off.

Sora watched her leave and I sighed. Now that she was gone, I would have to tell him about her...

"So..." Sora started, closing the window, folding the curtains back into place, and turning to face me. "I'll go first, if that's what you would prefer."

I knew he was talking about us revealing our crushes. My lips tilted up slightly and I said, "Sure."

He smiled but shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. He opened his mouth but closed it again, trying to find the right thing to say. With a heavy sigh, he sat down on the floor and put his back against the curtains and the wall behind them. He folded his arms across his chest and said, "This is harder than I thought."

I chuckled. "Take your time; it's Friday, and it's not like I have anywhere to be."

He looked up at me and sighed again. "I might as well get this over with..." He stood up, stretched, and said, "I've got a crush on Kairi. There, I said it."

I smiled. It was pretty obvious when you really look at it though. He acted kinda strange whenever she was around, like his nerves weren't functioning or whatever. I nodded and said, "Okay. Well, I guess it's my turn now."

Sora nodded and sat down on the bed next to me. He waited patiently for my answer.

My mind shut down for a split second before working again. It was finally starting to realize what it was about to reveal, and suddenly I felt unsure about this whole ordeal. But if Sora can do it, so can I. "I'll make this quick so I don't chicken out." I said, and he nodded. "I like this girl named Selphie Tilmitt."

Sora smiled thoughtfully. "Hmm... isn't she friends with Kairi?"

I sighed. "Sadly, not as much as they used to be. Remember, Kairi told us that she and Selphie had gotten into an argument and that they haven't talked since." I shook my head and looked at the curtains. "I couldn't exactly call that 'best friends' ".

I turned back towards Sora and he pouted. "Well, that's no fair." He folded his arms over his chest but then perked up. He has an idea. "Wait, I know! Why don't we help them solve their problems?"

I chuckled. "Alright, but if this ends with us playing matchmaker I'll never forgive you."

Sora was about to fist pump when I heard my mom's voice on the other side of my bedroom door. "Riku, Sora, you've been up there for a while now... I heard noises, what's going on?"

I quickly began to panic. Sora was panicking too. We didn't have enough time to come up with something to cover the situation before my mom walked in. "Is everything all... Riku, what happened in here? What happened to your clothes, and Sora's?"

I was really panicking now. I had just remembered how my whole front was probably blood red, and I glanced over at Sora to see that the knee down was red, too. And she hadn't even seen the bookshelf.

_I'm so screwed._

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**Ehehe... GAH, FANGIRLS PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! ...Anyways, sorry BNS (Black Night Shadow), but I got a request to not make this yaoi so NO SORIKU FOR YOU!**

**BNS: TT_TT**

**Me: It's okay, I'll do that with a different story...**

**BNS: You better... *grumbles***

**Me: ...**

**Balthier: Review!**

**Me: Squee! You are officially becoming a part of my A/N!**

**Balthier: ...**


	6. Problems

**Ah, I'm soooo sorry this story was neglected for so long! TT_TT I just had a horrible writer's block, and then today I finally caught my inspiration (I was telling my friend, "Inspiration doesn't come to you. You chase after it with a net and a dart gun.") and I had a burst of words. But... to my disappointment... This chapter isn't as long as I wanted... and I finally update! NE! So I'm terribly sorry if I disappoint you guys. **

**Disclaimer:**

**Me: I... I don't own KH.**

**Repliku (Riku Replica): But... you're trying to become a shishou, right?**

**Vanitas: Do you guys even know what a shishou is?**

**Me: I KNOW! It means master.**

**Repliku: Right! She's trying to become a KH shishou!**

**Vanitas: Well then, why are we here?**

**Me: BECAUSE I'm trying to become a shishou! If I wasn't going down this road, I wouldn't be able to respect you two fully! *tears up* Just... thinking about you guys...**

**Vanitas: Geez, calm down.**

**Repliku: ...Anyways, we've kept you for a while so... enjoy the chapter!**

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Chapter 5: Problems

My mom couldn't say anything, only stand there, a delicate hand over her mouth and her eyes wide.

I vaguely remembered Sora and I agreeing to something, but the thought quickly slipped from my mind as my instincts took over. I tried to stand and walk over to my mom to give some explanation, but my stomach twinged and a small cry of pain escaped my lips. My bedroom started to swim in my vision, and soon the bookshelf, my mom, Sora, and everything else in the room were just splotches of color here and there. I somehow managed to find my way to my bed. I glued my eyes shut just as a flaring headache came onto me. I clutched my head, forgetting about the world around me and twisting and turning, trying to fend off the pain but only making it worse. Always worse. I could just barely hear my mom and Sora call out my name in panicked tones. I wanted to straighten, to ignore the pain, and tell them I would be alright, but I couldn't.

I could feel my breathing start to slow, the darkness starting to take me into its arms. I tried to fight, to stay awake, but it was too much, and my body went limp as I blacked out.

**Sora's POV**

"Riku?" I asked in vain, putting a hand on his shoulder only to instantly bring it back due to the heat.

I hated it. I couldn't do anything to help Riku. I could only stand by and watch as he got the searing headaches. I watched him struggle until his movements slowed so much that the only signs that he was alive were his breathing, which was too shallow for comfort, and that his stomach wound had somehow reopened and was beginning to bleed.

I looked up at Ms. Tsumora and saw tears glistening in her eyes. She began shaking her head as she dropped to his side. "Please God, don't take Riku away from me. Not after what happened four years ago. Please, let me keep Riku." I heard her mutter. I didn't know what she meant, but I decided not to press the matter.

I started to cast Curaga, but something was holding me back. Whatever is was, it was making me forget the words of the simple spell. I almost cursed under my breath, then remembered where I was, and held it in.

I didn't realize I was moving, stumbling down the hall to get some wash cloths, going in the bathroom and soaking them in cold water, and bringing them back to Ms. Tsumora. I was being fueled by the pure willpower that allowed me to not cry and stay strong in this situation. I myself had retreated into my mind, wandering aimlessly as my body stumbled to and fro, running downstairs into the office and finding the first aid kit. I brought it back to Ms. Tsumora and she began tending to Riku's stomach wound.

I felt like I was in one of those crazy hospital TV shows. I felt like the panicked assistant of the abnormally calm doctor who was fighting tooth and nail to save someone who had probably already let go. I looked at Riku and instantly regretted it. The gentle rise and fall of his chest had diminished to simple twitches as his breath hitched every now and then. His skin was extremely pale, and almost paper white. His shirt was lifted to reveal his stomach that had a slit almost in the center that was bleeding profusely. Red leaked off of his stomach on onto the floor, coming too fast for the 'doctor' to clean it up. His silver locks were glued to his forehead by sweat and water from the damp wash cloth that was folded there. He looked absolutely nothing like the cool and collected Riku I had grown up with, the one who mostly kept to himself. I tore my gaze away and was waiting for Ms. Tsumora to hand me the wash cloth to resoak it so I had an excuse to free myself from the scene, if only for a moment.

I closed my eyes and one tear fell before I was able to soak the cloth again. _Riku,_ I thought,_ Don't leave now._

**Riku's POV**

It was dark. I couldn't see a thing. I couldn't feel myself, couldn't tell if I was moving or not. I couldn't think straight. I felt helpless. Something horrible could happen to me and I would be completely unaware. Something horrible already _has_ happened. I couldn't feel myself, but suddenly the world brightened. Somehow, I saw warmth, but I didn't feel it. What is going on?

"You've awaken."

The words boomed around me, seemingly activating my nerves. Instantly I felt pain. Pain everywhere. I couldn't move... but something was moving me. I slowly opened my eyes and saw the last person I had wanted to see. "Ansem," I muttered with great effort. "What's going on? What are you... doing to me?"

Ansem didn't answer, only opened some kind of portal. He walked through, and the portal closed, leaving me alone in this light. I wanted to look around, but there was a loud, echoing crash and the light instantly disappeared. I could barely tell I was falling. But to where? Where was I falling to?

I tried to look around, but was only met with horribly black darkness. It slightly scared me; I had never been able to deal with darkness as well as I used to... before Castle Oblivion. I shook my head and tried to focus on Ansem. Suddenly, my feet touched solid ground. I looked down at the ground and gasped.

Underneath my feet was the golden-tan sand of the beach on the Destiny Island. I looked back up and saw trees popping up all around me. I heard the ocean crashing against the shore and felt the water lapping at my ankles. I looked up at the sky and noticed it was sunset. Why was I seeing this?

I turned around and saw Ansem standing a short distance away with his back to me. My eyes narrowed, and I tried to speak, but no sound came out. _Why can't I speak?_ I thought, my hand going up to my throat.

I furrowed my eyebrows and tried to summon my Keyblade. A column of light the same length of my Keyblade surrounded my hand, but in a matter of seconds, the light flickered and soon went out, canceling the summoning. I stared at my hand, and tried to summon my Keyblade again, but the same thing happened. The column of light flickered out like a dying lightbulb.

Frantically, I looked around and saw a wooden sword a short distance away. It looked exactly like the wooden swords that Sora and I would mess around with. My expression hardened and I tried to go get it, but my feet wouldn't move. No matter what I tried, my feet stayed glued to the sandy beach.

With wide eyes, I looked back up to Ansem, who hadn't moved from the spot he was in. The reality of my situation hit me like a ton of bricks. If Ansem were to attack me now, I would be defenseless and unable to stop him. If Ansem wanted to, he could end me right now. I gulped silently.

It was then that Ansem turned around and looked at me. For a split second, I saw an expression of pain and sadness in his eyes before they reverted back to the usual malice that they held.

"Riku." His voice boomed, echoing across the beach between us. It bounced off of imaginary walls and made it seem like there was more than one Ansem. "This is your island home, is it not? The home you plunged into darkness a little over a year ago."

I wanted to stop him, to make him stop talking, but my situation wouldn't allow it. Ansem continued. "You must realize... Everything that happened, it was all your fault." Ansem smirked. "If you hadn't opened the door to this world's heart, the Heartless would not have attacked, and you would have never succumbed to my darkness." Ansem started to walk towards me. I wanted to back away, but then I remembered my feet were glued to the spot. "Riku, don't you know... You always end up becoming other people's problems.

_That's not true! _I yelled in my mind, but I was the only one who heard the statement.

"If you die here," Ansem said blandly, raising his hand and calling on his dark powers. "Everyone would be better off. Accept it!" A giant ball of fiery darkness was gathered around his hand. He hurled the ball at me and I felt its heat.

Though, instead of hitting me, it hit the ground mere inches from my feet. Just then, the ground turned glass-like, and cracks began to form from where the fireball hit. I wanted to run, but my feet still wouldn't obey my commands. The ground beneath me cracked, and moments later it shattered. I opened my mouth to yell, and sound came out this time. There wasn't enough time for me to even gasp at the sound before I was plunged into darkness again.

Suddenly, my senses were dulled again, and I couldn't tell if I was still falling or not. I saw a bright light, but it looked like it was getting further away. Then... I heard it.

"Riku!" I heard a familiar voice call out my name. "Riku, wake up! Please!"

I saw myself getting closer and closer to the light until I was bathed in its brightness and warmth. I closed my eyes and smiled.

**Sora's POV**

I could only watch in silence as Ms. Tsumora shook Riku's body, pleading for him to come back. His wound had finally stopped bleeding and seemed to have closed back up. That was the only good news. I closed my eyes. Riku had gotten somehow gotten paler and his temperature dropped dangerously low. His breathing somehow managed to slow down, too. I hoped against hope that he wasn't dead, but... With the way things were looking...

I opened my eyes and looked back to Ms. Tsumora. She had her head buried in Riku's shirt, her demands for him to wake up ceasing. I was about to stand and leave the room to leave her to herself when I noticed a change in Riku.

His skin had gotten most of its color back, though it was still a bit pale. His hand twitched and his eye fluttered open. I was shocked to say the least. "Ri... Riku?" I asked, unsure of whether or not this was real.

Riku looked up at me and smiled. "I'm here."

Riku's mother looked up at him, the tears in her eyes spilling down her cheeks. She hugged him tightly. "I thought I lost you..." She whispered.

Riku hugged her back. "Mom... please don't cry... I hate it when you cry."

I smiled and yelled, "Group hug!" I then dropped to the floor and wrapped my arms around both Riku and Ms. Tsumora.

They laughed and smiled back at me.

I would have stayed in that moment forever if I could.

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**Nee... that's the end... I'm sorry it was so short, and I'm sorry it's been so long! **

**So... review... I guess.**


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